


The Monster Inside

by avatays



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin Arlert & Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss Are Related, Blood and Violence, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Protagonist, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mafia Boss Erwin Smith, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other, She/Her and They/Them Pronouns for Hange Zoë, Smut, and it's going to be weird (but like sexy weird), everyone's a little bit crazy it's fine, floch is still a simp, mafia, there will be smut, torture scenes will usually cut to commercial
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:46:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29757756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatays/pseuds/avatays
Summary: Erwin Smith —better known as the Commander— runs the city, and most of the country, with an iron fist. His mafia is full of elite warriors perfect at their jobs, so perfect that no one has ever been caught.That's where you come in.An agent fresh to the S.C.O.U.T.S. with a need to prove yourself, you're ready to risk it all to take the Commander and his team down. However, there's a snag you hadn't fully expected.The rumor is that the Commander is in possession of a monster, something heartless and cruel that has killed agents just like you without batting an eye. Your mission is to find a way in, find evidence of the Commander's crimes and to bring the whole mafia to justice —All that is conditional under the hope that the monster won't find and kill you first.
Relationships: Eren Yeager/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	1. your mission, should you choose to accept it...

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not usually a fan of mob stories but i suddenly thought of mob boss erwin smith and the very idea was so hot i had to write something with that as a central feature lmao.  
> i don't write a lot of AoT and some of the characters are going to be loosely out of character to fit the mafia setting, but also have we considered that these characters on the brink of insanity is very sexy? think about it.  
>   
> also like 80% of this chapter is just set up because AoT has a lot of characters and since this id an AU i felt like i needed to reintroduce them as what they are specifically in this story. 
> 
> anyways pls let me know what you think if you feel so inclined, i'm very self-conscious about this story because i've never written anything like it.  
> ok bye love u,  
> tay

You knock on your superior’s door. You had been rather surprised to hear that he needed you for a special assignment, but you’re ready for it, whatever it may be. You were new to the S.C.O.U.T.S., being a green agent fresh out of four years of training, and you were anxious to prove your worth at one of the world’s most foremost intelligence agencies. 

You stand still after you lower your hand, and are starting to wonder if you should knock again or if he was in the office at all. You stare at the words on his door, in shiny gold lettering: _Head Chief Dot Pyxis, Sentinel Command, Outreach, Undercover and Training Services._

The door finally swings open, and the Chief gives you a welcoming smile. “Come in, agent.”

You slowly take a seat that Pyxis gestures to as he goes over to a small cart in the corner of his desk, taking out a glass and a large bottle of expensive liquor. “Care for some brandy?” He asks. 

You frown. Is this a test of some kind? “Ah, no thank you, sir.”

“Suit yourself,” Pyxis hums, taking a long drink before finally sitting down at his desk across from you. “Do you know why I’ve called you in here?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be surprised. First in your graduating class, is that correct? Chief Shadis has told me much about you, agent — that you’re one of the best he’s ever seen, topping the class in both physical and mental strength.”

You blush slightly at the praise, simply choosing to nod. 

“I called you in here because we need someone fresh to get a new perspective. Have you heard of the group that calls themselves RECON?”

“The mafia, aren’t they?”

“Smart girl. Yes, RECON is a mafia. Primarily operating from deep underground, but has become much more visible in the last two decades, with a new head. They call him the Commander. We have identified the man as Erwin Smith,” Pyxis explains, pulling out a large folder and placing a photo in front of you.

The picture was clearly taken at a gala of some kind. You could tell from one glance that the man in the photo is tall and broad, taking up much more space in the photograph than the people surrounding him, with blonde hair meticulously kept and blue eyes that were framed by thick eyebrows. He didn’t look like he could be older than forty, and you wonder how he had come into a position of such power so quickly. He wore a three piece suit, a fluke of champagne in his left hand. A glimmer caught the lens on his right, showcasing a metal wrist, a black glove covering the hand and only allowing a glance of the silver at the space between the glove and his sleeve. 

“Was there a commander before him?” You finally ask, pushing the photo away when you were sure you had examined the man’s face enough.

“His father. Erwin came to inherit the mob after his father’s passing at seventeen years old. He’s been in charge for twenty-four years. Two years into his leadership, he led RECON to the surface. Clearly he was done existing in the shadows and their ‘business’ has only grown since then.”

“And what exactly do they do?”

“Most of it is theft, illegal weapons and drug trafficking, the usual extortion and money laundering. Can’t forget the murders.”

“Lovely,” You respond dryly. 

“Apparently Smith has some limits though. There are a few things he has absolutely forbidden RECON and associates from doing — there are some reports of when he takes over a rival group’s business, if there are aspects of it he doesn’t want to be a part of, he will dissolve it. Prostitution, slavery, and sex trafficking to name a few. According to some of my sources, any violators of these codes are executed. This is a shady business, but the Commander seems to have some kind of moral compass — we just don’t know which way the compass is pointing yet. That’s where you come in.”

“...Me?” You ask hesitantly. 

“ _You_ ,” Pyxis confirms. “You’re young, talented, and the perfect agent to send to the inside.”

Your jaw drops for just a moment, before you compose yourself. “And you’re certain I’m the best for this job?”

“Are you saying you can’t do it, agent?”

“No, I know I can,” You correct without hesitation. “But surely someone with more experience would be able to do this job just as good or better than I could.”

“That’s certainly true, it could be done by someone else. But I’ve got a good feeling you will be able to do what we need you to without letting anything get in your way.” When you are silent, mulling it over, he says, “Can I continue? I want to give you all the information you’ll need; you think it over, then decide if you’re willing to go on this mission. It’s going to be dangerous, and I won’t force you to take it.”

You try to think it through logically. On one hand, this will be one of your first jobs, you could die easily facing a man with resources like the Commander. On the other, if you prove yourself by succeeding at this mission as a rookie, there would be no glass ceiling that could possibly hold you.

You nod. 

“Excellent. We’ll start with the important players, just the ones we suspect you’ll run into.” Pyxis pulls one picture out of the folder, pushing it before you. It showcases a man with sandy hair and a frown who looked to be the same age as the Commander. “Mike Zacharias. Also known as the Nose. He’s the head of Smith’s defense; it’s said he can smell a rat from a mile away. If you’re even in the same building as the Commander, he’ll know about it.”

Pyxis then lines up a few more photos beside each other, five mugshots for people who look close to your age. “Bertholdt Hoover and Reiner Braun,” he says, his hands resting on top of the mugshots of a nervous-looking brunet and a man with golden eyes that wore a smug smile. “They’re called the Sword and the Shield. They run the weapons division of RECON, and work closely with the theft operatives, namely, her.” He moves to the next picture in the lineup of five, a woman with blonde hair and a bored expression. “Annie Leonhart, codenamed the Diamond. She was arrested for stealing 3.2 million dollars worth of gems, and was subsequently freed due to a technicality — the Commander, we suspect, and that this incident is how she came to work for him.

“Pieck Finger and Porco Galliard,” he continues, gesturing in turn to a tired-looking woman with messy hair and a man with hair gelled back who looked angry at best. “Galliard, or the Jaw, is their head of white-collar crime. When the Commander doesn’t want to rub elbows with certain corrupt politicians, the job is passed to him. They call him the Jaw for his ability to talk himself out of anything. Bribery, extortion, and money laundering are his bread and butter. Finger is called the Cart; she organizes all their trafficking.”

“This is quite...” You struggle to find the word, before finally settling on, “Structured.”

“You don’t stay on top like Smith has with a disordered team,” Pyxis says dismissively. You found you couldn’t argue with that. 

He pulls another photograph out of the folder, showing a picture of a smiling woman who looked to be posing for some sort of company photo. She wore a lab coat and square glasses. “This is Hange Zoë, although most know her as the Mad Scientist. If there’s a drug, she can replicate it, and better. There are others that work in their division of drug trafficking, but she is by far the most dangerous. Her proximity to the Commander is something you’ll need to be on guard for. He trusts the Scientist’s judgement on matters far beyond her department, and he seeks her advice when he needs an outside perspective.”

“So she’s my biggest opponent on this mission?” You check, staring at the woman. This Hange didn’t look dangerous, but you know better than anyone that looks can be deceiving. 

“Not quite,” he informs you, looking almost apologetic. “There is the Commander’s right hand, arguably the most dangerous man in RECON.” Pyxis offers another photo to you, showing a blurry image that featured both Smith and Hange, as well as a shorter, raven-haired figure who was facing partially away from where the camera was pointed, but you could still see the scowl etched onto his features. “Levi. Also known as the Captain. We have no information of his upbringing, can’t find a criminal record, not even an ID or a last name. As far as the law is concerned, he’s a ghost. He’s the one who does the Commander’s dirty work — if Zoë is the jury and Smith is the judge, then the Captain is the executioner. If he catches wind of your true intentions, you won’t have a chance. And I say that as someone who has total confidence in you. He’ll get to you before you even figure out you’ve been had. And he won’t make it a quick death either. He’s nothing if not loyal, and his loyalty lies with Erwin Smith and his family.”

“Somehow I didn’t think that the Commander had a family,” you mumble. The man looks relatively young, not to mention the fact that a mob boss isn’t necessarily a family-friendly career option. 

“He does. And I believe they are your way in. This is Historia,” Pyxis continues, pointing to a picture of a young girl with a wide smile, who otherwise looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly. “Twin sister to—” Pyxis lays another picture right next to Historia’s, this time a boy, with the same blonde hair, blue eyes, and round face that his sister sports, seemingly photographed in a library with a book in front of him. “—Armin. Their code names are the Princess and the Prodigy. Don’t let those innocent faces fool you, that bloodline is rotten down to the last drop.”

“How old are they?” You ask, cocking an eyebrow. The two look like teenagers, you’re a bit skeptical about their ability to cause harm to anyone.

“Nineteen. We were lucky enough to find their birth certificates; their father was listed, surprisingly. It had been redacted, of course, but we have ways of working around that. Their mother, Marie Dok, disappeared soon after their birth.”

“What, so you think the Commander killed her?”

“On the contrary. We were able to track her down — she had no idea we were doing so, of course. She’s living it up in Bali, apparently being financed by Smith to this day. I suspect that they had a deal: she would provide him an heir to his empire, and in return she would be set for life. Of course, they’re twins, so I suppose he got a two for one deal.”

You pull a disgusted face. “That’s barbaric.”

“The Commander runs his empire like a king with a firm grasp on his citizens, it doesn’t surprise me that he decided he needed someone to continue the family business once he’s done early on in his rule,” Pyxis says, pouring himself more brandy. “What I’m most interested in is the fact that he put his name down at all. Most men in his position wouldn’t have risked it. It shows a weak spot,” Pyxis muses. “These two could be your way in.”

“So that’s my mission? Earn the twins’ trust, infiltrate the operation and tear it apart from the inside?” You fidget. It would be hard, but you’re certain you could handle it. 

“Close. First, yes, earn their trust — I suggest through Armin. From my knowledge, Historia always has a woman with her who acts as a bodyguard. You may not be able to get close enough without arousing suspicion from this third party. Armin may have his father’s brains, but the kid seems like he needs friends and will dismiss things that don’t add up about your story in exchange for your companionship. I’d imagine it’s hard to make friends when your father will kill them if they see something they weren’t supposed to.”

“Understood, sir.” You feel a bubble of guilt building, looking down once again at the picture of the boy reading a book. He’s only a bit younger than you, and you’re going to use him to get to his father. It seems cruel... No, you just have to remind yourself that this is what needs to be done. Their bloodline is bad, Pyxis said. Believe it. 

“Once he trusts you enough, get him to invite you to the manor, where all the business happens. Then you find proof of guilt. The only reason this mafia is still running is because everything until this point has been circumstantial. We need something concrete if we want to take them down. Try to just find evidence, don’t get tied up and try to infiltrate their operation.”

You nod. “I’ll do it.”

“You don’t want to think it over?” Pyxis asks, a sly smile on his face like he knew you would take it. When you nod, he adds, “Very well. In that case, there is one final piece to this puzzle you need to be aware of.” Pyxis pauses, before taking a breath. “There’s a monster.”

“What?” You deadpan. 

“They call him the Monster. We have no information on him. But he is the reason that these scraps of intel are all we have,” Pyxis explains through grit teeth, gesturing at the folder. “I have sent twelve agents into the field to get this information. Each one managed to get a bit, before this Monster killed them. I have sent twelve agents. Zero have come back. I’m hoping that you’re my lucky number thirteen.” Pyxis looks at you almost desperately. “I need you to survive. I’m assuming all my agents were killed because they were caught, or got too close to the truth about the operation and the Monster himself. I want his name, so my agents’ deaths mean something.”

You were quiet for a moment, thinking to yourself, before finally offering, “This monster... What makes him so? Is there anymore information about him? I want to know what I’m walking into.”

“Truthfully, I can’t provide much more. There’s such a small amount we have managed to gather,” Pyxis tells you with a frown. “All we know is that the Commander holds a monster in his midst. Some say that the Monster isn’t entirely human — after seeing what he’s done, I’m almost inclined to believe it.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes. What is this, a fantasy novel? Humans are monsters enough as it is, surely this was no different.

“I wish I could give you more. But this,” Pyxis says ruefully while pushing the folder towards you. “Is yours. Study them. If you are sure you’re ready for this mission, I have a team that is ready to assist you.”

You nod and Pyxis stands. You follow his lead. You flip through the folder as he leads you down the hall. Your eyes stop briefly on Armin’s information sheet. _November third._ The twins’ birthday is in two weeks. You smile. What a perfect time for reconnaissance, under the guise of a party. You just hope he’s having one and that you can con yourself an invite.

Pyxis finally stops at a door, gesturing for you to go in first. You open it to find a group of four sitting around the table, talking amongst themselves until Pyxis followed you in and they stood to salute him.

“At ease,” Pyxis addresses them. They relax. “Agent Thirteen, meet your team. Mikasa Ackerman, she’s your second.” An asian woman with short black hair nods at you. “She’s going to have your six and always watching you, so if you get caught up, she’ll step in. Jean Kirstein,” he continues, a man with long sandy hair giving you a strained half-smile, “is stealth and operations. Connie Springer, infiltration and reconnaissance.” A man with buzzed hair waves at his introduction, and your eyes meet with a brunette girl who grins widely at you. “Lastly, Sasha Braus. Sniper. She’ll be watching everything from above. If you get caught and Mikasa can’t get to you quick enough, she’s taking the shot. We’d rather lose the capture of a mafia member if that’s the only thing standing between you and death.”

You nod. This suddenly felt much more real. Saying yes to a mission and getting a team for said mission are two different things. It was really starting to sink in.

“Discuss your game plan for initial infiltration, then give me a full report,” Pyxis tells you. “We’re counting on you. All of you.”

He turns and leaves, and you stare at your team. Mikasa looks unshaken, but the other three teammates look nervous. It occurs to you that this was probably one of the first missions all five of you are being sent on. You frown. What was Pyxis thinking...

You dismiss it. You can try to figure out Pyxis’s end game another time. For now, you have a mission.

“Alright,” you begin as you sit down at the head of the table. “Let’s get started.”

**_\-----_ **

“Floch, we’re going to play a game. If you’re interested, that is.”

The man in question stares up at Levi. He looks down at himself, strapped to a chair that resembled something used for electrocution. He tries to speak through the gag in his mouth, but his words are indecipherable. 

“Oh, was that a yes? Wonderful,” Levi continues smugly. He tilts his head at the woman in the corner and she comes over, laying out some of tools on the lab table beside him. He hums to himself as he looks through his things.

He hears Floch struggling to say something to the only other person in the room and Levi rolls his eyes. “If you’re trying to convince Ymir to help you escape, you’ve definitely lost it. Normally we might show mercy on you, but you see...” He turns towards Floch, dragging his silver gaze along Floch’s face, who stares between him and Ymir with fearful eyes. Ymir looks unfazed. “You put Historia in danger. We have rules here for a reason and still you were willing to jeopardize her safety. You really think anyone here is going to pity you?”

Levi walks over to him and pulls the gag down. “My only question is: why would you? What would you stand to gain by bringing her to the Monster, when you know specifically that one of the Commander’s rules is not to let him near the twins?”

“The king needs a sacrifice to retake his full power,” Floch croaks out. 

Wrong answer. 

Ymir hits him in the face with her elbow, the sickening crunch of a broken nose and a cry echoing throughout the room. “You’re a sick piece of shit, you know that?” She shouts. 

“He could become greater than all of us and you keep him leashed in the basement. You’re _cowards_!” Floch howls.

“That’s enough out of you,” Levi says, hitting Floch on the back of the head with a crowbar. He didn’t hit him hard, he still needed Floch conscious to continue his interrogation. Floch just grunts in pain and stops talking.

“You knows that he wouldn’t have actually taken Historia as this ‘sacrifice’ you’re talking about, don’t you?” Levi asks coolly. “He may be a monster but he still wouldn’t have hurt her — even if he _wanted_ to, he wouldn’t have, because he knows his place here. Something _you_ need to learn.”

“You’re one of his kind, Ymir!” Floch says to her desperately. “You know how strong he can be, but you chose _their_ side? You’re one of the blessed few and you don’t even care, he’s our savior—”

“Christ, just shut the fuck up,” Levi interrupts. “Your voice is so annoying, keep talking like that and I’m cutting out your tongue.”

“There are no sides,” Ymir growls. “He’s on our team, and he doesn’t step out of line... not too far, at least. You’re just delusional.” Ymir’s eyes glow red for a moment, before she closes them and composes herself. Levi always found her composure admirable, if he was in her position he might have lost his cool. 

“Take it easy, Ymir. Why don’t you go check on Historia? I can handle this. If the Commander asks, tell him Floch made our job easier.” Ymir hesitates and Levi can almost see the bloodthirsty look in her eyes. “She was asking about you earlier. I think she wants to see you.” 

Ymir softens ever so slightly. She nods, giving Levi a short salute and leaving the dungeons, not looking back once, finally allowing Levi to do what he needs to do without an audience. 

“Now,” Levi begins. “Where were we? Oh, right.” He goes back to his tools.

“He’s going to break out one day,” Floch whispers with a maddened laugh. “He will escape and rule.”

“He works _for_ us, Floch. He didn’t ask to be treated like a god by you and your psychotic friends just because you saw what he could do,” Levi replies to the warning smoothly. “True, he’s different from the others like him, but he understands that we can provide him what he needs. There are members of our team who are the same breed as him, he isn’t looking to end us all.”

“But he is.”

“And he told you that, did he?” Levi hums. He spins a pair of pliers in his hand, cleaning the dried blood from it that he must have missed the last time.

“W-well, no.”

“Then I suppose that’s your mistake. We have an accord with the Monster. He’s irreplaceable to our goals, just as he needs us to accomplish his. You, however—” Levi walks over to Floch, pulling on a pair of white silk gloves. He sees Floch’s face pale. Floch knew what was coming, Levi could see it in his eyes. “—Are _completely_ replaceable. So.” He grips Floch’s face in one gloved hand, holding his mouth open. “Open your mouth real wide for the dentist. Now remember, no one cares that you’re down here. And no one’s coming to help you.”

Levi hoists the pliers towards Floch’s face, then smirks. “This will be much more fun for me if you scream, by the way.”


	2. the son of erwin smith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first step of your plan to get close to Armin is set into action.  
> Meanwhile, your team snoops around the Smith Manor, and some secrets are revealed about how the Smith household works.

You stare through the door of the library.

Come on. You can do this. He’s right there.

Slowly, you open the doors. You planned to come in during the busiest time of the library’s operating hours, so you would have an excuse to talk to your target; your plan is working well, there isn’t a free table in the main room. 

You walk over to his table, the blond boy tapping a pen against the desk haphazardly as he read (a nervous habit most likely, you note) until you clear your throat and he looks up at you, looking surprised at the intrusion. “Hi,” you say cheerfully. “Sorry, not to bug you, but can I sit here? Everywhere else is full.”

Armin takes a look around, noticing that indeed there were no free tables. He gives you a small smile, and gestures to the table. “Yeah, help yourself.”

“Thanks,” you say, setting the backpack down beside you. Jean had packed a few textbooks in there when you had told your team of the plan.

Mikasa had put a handgun in there as well, saying it was just in case you ran into trouble. You roll your eyes at the memory. As you look at Armin, who was nervously glancing up at you as he tried to read, you didn’t feel like you had much to worry about.

“I’m Analeissa,” you tell him, holding your hand out for him to shake. A lie, but it would be too risky to be truthful with him. You don’t exist in many places on the internet, but you weren’t going to be killed because you were foolish enough to give the enemy your real name.

Armin looks startled, but shakes your hand. “Armin.” He goes quiet for a second, as if thinking of something to say. 

You feel bad for him. You had studied his patterns for a week before deciding to engage, and you had noticed that he struggled with social interactions. He didn’t necessarily seem shy, but he obviously wasn’t very gifted at small talk and the like.

Based on what you’ve seen of his sister, you could tell why. It seems like his sister did all the talking for him, and if they were separated, he wasn’t sure how to speak up for himself. Although you can imagine he’s likely improved now that he goes to college and she doesn’t, you still wouldn’t be surprised if the kid had anxiety.

“So, what’s your major?” You ask when Armin goes silent, playing with one of the dog-eared pages of his book. 

He smiles. “Well, my major is business, but I really want to be an artist.”

“Really?” You wonder. That’s news, you hadn’t seen him draw anything during the time you studied him.

“Yeah,” he says softly, pulling a sketchbook out of his backpack. He slowly opens it to a page, showing a sketch of the library they were in at that moment. The haphazardly shelved books on the page mirrored the ones in the room. “I did it pretty quick, it’s not very good—”

“It’s amazing,” you quickly correct him. 

“Yeah?” He asks, perking up.

“It is. Why are you a business major if you’re such a good artist?” You already know the answer. You want him to tell you anyway.

“Oh, my dad runs a business,” he responds, replacing the sketchbook in his book bag as he returns to his textbook. “My sister and I are supposed to take it over when he retires. I just like art for fun.”

“I mean... I’m sure you could make a career out of it,” you tell him.

He shrugs, his eyes going back to his book. “Maybe. That’s not the plan though.” He starts to read again.

“Your plan, or your family’s?” 

His eyes snap up. “What did you just say?”

“Nothing. It’s just that it seems like you don’t want to join the family business, whatever it is,” you say nonchalantly. You seem to have struck a nerve with him, but hopefully that choice would make him feel more able to open up to you instead of scaring him into shutting you out.

Armin’s lip twitches. “Well. It doesn’t matter much whose plan it is. I have a duty to my family, it doesn’t really matter what I want to do.”

“Seems kind of... sad,” you mumble with a frown. And it is. He really is a talented artist, but he sees himself as trapped into a job he doesn’t want. You could feel for him, of course, your parents had tried to do the same things before you ran away to join the S.C.O.U.T.S and follow your own destiny. “I think you’re good enough that you could do whatever you want to do.”

Armin opens his mouth to say something, then shuts it, clearly thinking better of it. “Thanks,” he eventually whispers. “What do you study, anyway?”

“I haven’t started school here yet, I came to the library to try and pick out some classes for next semester,” you reply. Connie had worked out a plan so that it wouldn’t be suspicious if you didn’t show up on campus for long periods of time, but Armin would still believe that you had a reason to be at the library. Armin’s a smart guy, if your story was too weird, he’d sniff you out.

He nods. “Do you know what you want to do?”

“Not sure. I’ve considered marketing and business, but I’m not sure how to go about that.” Give too many details, that was your lying tactic when it came to this. If you gave enough information, he probably wouldn't remember anything specific. Plus, if you’re lucky, he could—

“Ha, maybe you should meet my dad to talk about business.”

_Bingo._

“I’m kidding,” Armin quickly follows up. “My dad’s a busy guy. Plus you probably wouldn’t want to meet him anyway.”

Dammit. Oh well. That was a long shot in any case. 

You laugh a bit. “Maybe not, but I—”

“Armin. It’s five. Time to go.”

You turn to see a large blond man standing by the table with his arms crossed. You recognize him as one of the five mugshots Pyxis had shown you. _Reiner Braun, the Shield._ Braun gives you a nod of acknowledgement, before looking at Armin. “Come on.” 

Armin scowls at him. “Reiner, I’m not done yet.”

“I don’t make the rules, man. Your dad’s gonna be mad at _me_ though if you miss family dinner.” Reiner sounds at least a little bit apologetic, although his face is relatively stoic.

“Can you give me a minute to wrap up?” Armin asks. “I’ll meet you outside.”

Reiner looks you up and down. For a second, you could have sworn that his golden eyes flashed burgundy, before it disappeared in an instant. You dismiss the thought as Reiner’s eyes flicker back to Armin, smirking. “No, I think I’ll stay here.”

“Reiner,” Armin hisses, glaring at him.

Reiner sighs. “Fine, fine. But if you aren’t out in five minutes, I’m coming back in and carrying you to the car myself.”

Armin begins packing his things into his backpack. “Sorry,” he whispers. “He can be a little... much.”

“It’s okay, brothers are like that.” Of course, you’re well aware that Reiner isn’t Armin’s brother, but he was acting enough like it that Armin would understand your assumption. After all, you shouldn’t have any idea about Armin’s family. Be wrong, and it’ll make him less suspicious of your motives. 

Armin rolls his eyes and huffs, “He’s not my brother. Sure acts like it though.” Armin stands and looks at you. You can tell he wants to say something, but you aren’t sure what it is, and you don’t want to bring it up in case it’ll scare him into not answering you at all.

“So, do you come to the library often?” He eventually asks. You can tell that isn’t the question he wanted to ask, but maybe he was building up to something. 

“Well, I haven’t before, but I plan to come again tomorrow,” you respond.

“So... I’ll see you then?”

“Yeah,” you tell him. “That sounds good.”

He smiles at you. “Okay.” He hesitates for a second, then turns to leave the library. At the door, he waves back at you. You return the motion. You watch through the large windows as he walks over to a sleek black car, where Braun was leaning against, playing on his phone. You see Armin hit him on the shoulder, seemingly scolding him for something. Braun seems to find this amusing, he ruffles Armin’s hair, then gets in the car.

You didn’t get the invite to Armin’s birthday party that you wanted, but you still have until Saturday. You’ve got five days to form enough of a friendship with Armin that he feels comfortable enough to invite you to his party. For you? That’s elementary.

———

“Hey, you guys,” Reiner sings as he walks into the manor, seeing Annie, Pieck, and Bertholdt on the couch by the door. “Guess what? Armin has a crush!”

Armin blushes crimson. “I do _not_!”

Annie frowns, but says nothing, exchanging a look with Bertholdt. Pieck shakes her head. “Reiner, be nice.”

“I was just talking to her! I need friends who aren’t paid to hang out with me,” Armin mumbles bitterly.

“Hey,” Annie says softly. “It’s not like that. You know that, come on.”

“Seriously, Reiner? He was talking to a woman and now you assume he has a crush?” Pieck hums. “Pretty heteronormative if you ask me.”

“Pieck, you’re literally saying that to a guy who takes dick up the—”

“Reiner!” Bertholdt shouts, scandalized.

“What, it’s not like they don’t _know_ ,” Reiner laughs, flopping down on the couch between Bertholdt and Pieck, throwing his arm over Bertholdt’s shoulders. “We all shared a room when we got here, I’m pretty sure they figured it out.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me,” Annie grumbles. She looks at Armin, gesturing to the seat beside her. He smiles and follows her lead.

“Don’t be homophobic,” Reiner teases.

“You aren’t gay.”

“Biphobic.”

“Reiner, every day I grow closer to fist fighting you in the courtyard outside,” Annie says with a scoff.

“Oh yeah? Well why don’t we just take this outside and see.”

“Please don’t try to fight Annie, you’ll lose,” Bertholdt tells his boyfriend. 

Reiner frowns. “Et tu, Bertl? I can’t believe this. Where’s Porco?” Said man enters the room with a bowl of ramen, and he cocks an eyebrow at the mention of his name. “You’re my new boyfriend.”

“I’d literally rather die,” Porco snorts, sitting beside Pieck. “And that’s saying something, considering how long it’d take for me to die in the first place.”

“Hey, show your new boyfriend some respect,” Pieck scolds as she plucks the fork from his hand and steals some of his food. He glares at her, but allows it. 

“Wow, so you won’t even defend my honor?”

“Nah.”

“I hate all of you,” Annie mumbles, holding her head in her hands for the splitting headache that was sure to come. 

“Sorry, Annie,” Armin says from beside her, opening his book.

She softens. “Not you.” He smiles at her in response, and Reiner coughs something indecipherable, which makes Bertholdt elbow him. 

“Are you guys coming to family dinner tonight?” Armin asks, looking at the five surrounding him.

Annie frowns. “No, it’s Monday. We have to go hunting.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot.”

“We’ll be back tomorrow though,” Pieck amends. “Promise. Besides, we have to plan your birthday party still!”

Armin groans. “I completely forgot about that.”

“Luckily your sister didn’t,” Porco says, stealing his fork back from Pieck. “She and Ymir have been working on it for a few weeks now.”

“Can’t I just skip it?”

“You can’t skip your own party, Armin,” Pieck replies lazily.

“It’s his party, he shouldn’t have to go if he doesn’t want to,” Annie defends. 

“It’s not like it’s an important birthday anyway. It’s twenty,” Bertholdt points out.

“Don’t look so down,” Reiner tuts when he notices Armin’s deepening frown. “I’m sure everyone will be so enthralled with your sister, they won’t even look at you.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

“Don’t be a dick, Reiner,” Annie hisses, kicking his shin.

“Sun’s down,” Porco suddenly states, gesturing with his head towards the large glass window where the sun had just finished setting.

Annie looks at Armin. “Sorry we’re missing dinner.”

“No need to apologize, you need to get your own dinner,” he responds, trying his best not to look disappointed. “I’ll be fine.”

She touches his shoulder, then heads for the door, the other four following her out. Reiner waves at him before he closes the door behind them. Armin sighs, slumping against the couch. 

It really was hard being one of the only normal people around here.

———

“So, what’ve we learned today?” Connie asks when you get back from the library, typing wildly to get all his notes written down to report to Pyxis. 

“Armin told me he wants to see me tomorrow, a great sign. I bet I’ll have an invite to his party in two days, tops,” you reply. “Pyxis was right, Armin really seems to want some friends. I could ask if I can bring a friend to the party when I do get invited.” You turn to your second. “Mikasa, will you come?” She nods, and you continue, “Jean, did you do your surveillance on the house?”

Jean scoffs. “Not so much of a house than a mansion, but yeah, I did it.” He pulls out a diagram of the house, crudely drawn but intricately detailing the entrance and exit points. “Five doors,” he begins, gesturing to the five doors in turn. “Here’s the front door. Here’s the back. The side door. The entrance to the kitchen. And the one in the garage. There are cameras here, here, and here,” Jean tells them, pointing to three places on the map surrounding the house. “Sash was able to put them on a loop while I was snooping around.”

Sasha nods at the mention of her name, looking up from her snack. “It was hard to hack into, but I can do it again. Still, I don’t think we should do any more surveillance of the place before the party, I don’t want the system to notice any irregularities and then put our actual plan in jeopardy when the time comes.”

“I agree,” Mikasa hums. She pulls out a folder. “Printed the pictures an hour ago.” She lays them in the center of the table, and the team crowds around her. “These are pictures from inside the house — I took them from a giant tree across the street, but this house has so many windows, it’s ridiculous.”

“Would that be a good emergency exit point?” Jean muses.

Mikasa shakes her head. “Bulletproof glass, we’d never be able to break it in a quick escape.”

“Figures,” Jean mumbles. “Not surprising. In that case, we have one emergency escape route.” He flips the map of the house over to show another floor. “There’s a balcony on the third floor. If you guys get caught, run up there. They won’t expect you to try to escape by going upstairs, so you’ll have more of a chance to get out before they figure out where you’re going. We’ll be bringing our gear, so you should be able to rappel down from the third floor enough that you won’t break your legs jumping off. Unfortunately though, the balcony is in the master bedroom.”

Connie swears under his breath. “Shit. So if we get caught, our last resort is going into the bedroom of the very man who could kill us?”

“More or less,” Jean mumbles.

“Super. Anything else that could go wrong?”

“Everything,” Mikasa tells him coolly. “That’s what could go wrong. We need to be prepared for any possibility.” She returns to her photos, placing four of them side by side, showing the four doors (besides the garage) that Jean had pointed out. “There seems to usually be guards stationed at the doors — except for these two.” She points to the side door and the kitchen door. “I’ve surmised that the side door is guarded from the inside. That may be where the merchandise comes in and out. Then the kitchen, which seems to be pretty unguarded. Connie, Jean, when you sneak in, use that one. We’ll figure out what kind of dress code the kitchen workers wear, and you’ll blend in.”

“And if someone realizes we don’t belong there?” Connie asks.

“I doubt it’ll happen,” Sasha interrupts. “I was looking at some of the cameras on the inside. I counted about three dozen people running around that area. If you say you were hired as extra help for the party, most of the workers probably won’t even think twice.”

Connie stops typing for a moment as he finishes copying Sasha’s words, then looks at the team. “Is there anything else Chief Pyxis needs to know?”

You think about Reiner, and his red eyes that flashed for only a moment before returning to their normal color. You shake your head. Surely it was your imagination... the Monster isn’t real. And there was nothing supernatural about this Reiner. 

“No,” you respond. “Send it.”

———

“Son, you alright? You seem... off.”

Armin’s eyes flicker up to his father who sat across from him at the dinner table. Erwin looks at him, brows furrowed, concerned. Historia is writing something down as they wait for dinner to start, party plans if he had to guess. 

He shrugs. “Just thinking about the party.”

Historia finally stops writing. “Armin,” She says, smiling at him. “I know you don’t really like crowds, but trust me, it’ll be fun! All of our friends will be there.”

“All of _your_ friends and then some people our age who work for dad,” Armin sighs. 

Historia frowns. “They’re still our friends. They care about us.”

“Of course they do, they wouldn’t still be here if they didn’t like the people in this house,” Erwin says, looking at Armin. “Did something happen to make you think like this?”

“No. I just... I met a friend at the library today,” Armin explains. “She’s really nice but... I don’t know, I just don’t think it’s a good idea for her to ever come over. She’s probably better off staying away from me.”

“Armin, nothing is going to happen at the party, daddy gave us his word.” Historia fixes Erwin with a glare, crossing her arms, as if daring him to say anything to the contrary.

“This is your party, it’s your day. No business, I swear,” Erwin declares, his metal hand over his heart as a promise. “The only business people there will be friends. Come on, you don’t want me to uninvite Hange, right? It’ll crush them.”

Armin sighs. “Of course you can’t uninvite Hange. They’re family.” He pauses. “Where is she anyway?”

The door opens from behind him at that moment, almost like a summoning. “Come on, it’s family dinner!” Levi hisses. 

“But my experiments!” Hange whines.

Levi walks over the threshold, carrying Hange over his shoulder. He forcibly places her in her chair beside Armin, and glares. “Stay,” he orders.

Hange pouts. “Fine.”

“Good girl.”

“Not a girl,” Hange hums with a grin, Historia giggling at their words.

“Yeah, you’re a nuisance,” Levi huffs.

“Enough,” Erwin commands. Levi and Hange stop their bickering. “It’s family dinner, this is the only night where it’s just the five of us. Now, can we please just enjoy each other’s company?”

“It doesn’t feel like family dinner without Ymir,” Historia sighs dramatically.

“It’s her night to go scope out the area before the hunt. You’ll see her tomorrow,” Levi tells her, voice annoyed. “Now can we just get started?”

A few people come out from the kitchen with plates, placing one in front of each person sitting at the table. A few ‘thank you’s are given, before the servers make a hasty retreat. They begin, quiet murmurings going on around the table as they eat.

Half-way through, apparently the silence becoming too much for them, Hange says, “Levi, how did things go with Floch a few days ago? You promised me the body.”

“Did I? I forgot.” It’s clear from Levi’s tone he didn’t actually forget.

“Wh...what’d you do with it then?” 

“Gave it to Reiner.”

“What?!” Hange shouts. “You let him _eat_ my new experiment?”

“He didn’t _eat_ Floch’s body,” Levi corrects.

“If you let him touch it at all, it means he did enough that I can’t use it!” Hange complains.

“It’s not like there was much to be done with it,” Levi tells them coldly. “Besides, last time I gave you a body, you nearly blew up the lab.”

“Blowing things up is part of the scientific process!” She protests.

“Oh. Floch’s dead?” Armin whispers.

Historia flinches slightly at the mention. Armin hopes that she knows it isn’t her fault Floch died; he had made his own choices, ones that endangered her. Floch knew the punishment of his choices. Still, she probably doesn’t want to be reminded of what Floch nearly did in the first place.

“Yes.” Levi takes a long sip of tea. “It doesn’t matter. Hange, I’ll let you have the body next time, fair?”

Hange squeals excitedly before she continues eating. 

“Don’t say next time, Levi. You make it sound like you’re excited to find a traitor in our midst,” Erwin tuts with a frown.

“Not excited. Working here requires some level of trust, but if we _actually_ only kept those we trusted, we’d have ten workers. And Ymir. I’m just being realistic.”

“Hey, Ymir works here,” Historia protests.

Levi rolls his eyes. “ _Tch._ She used to, now she’s just your girlfriend who lives here. Name the last time she did some work.” When Historia opens her mouth, he tacks on, “Some work that doesn’t include looking out for _you_.” Historia closes her mouth. “That’s what I thought.”

“Be nice,” Erwin says smoothly. “Ymir is part of our family, she’s welcome here. She’s proven her loyalty, and she keeps my daughter safe. As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough work.”

Historia sighs. “You say that like she’s my babysitter.”

Levi cocks an eyebrow at her doubtfully and sips his tea loudly, as if to prove his point. Historia glares. 

“Speaking of,” Erwin begins. “Have you and Mike come up with a plan to make sure the Monster is contained on Saturday?”

“He has a name,” Armin mumbles under his breath. Erwin elects to ignore it.

“Yes. Do you really think he’s going to try to pull something though?” Levi asks.

“I don’t,” Erwin replies. “But just in case he gets any ideas. We don’t want a repeat of what happened with his brother.”

“Understood, Commander.”

“Oh, and Armin?” 

Armin turns to his father, who smiles at him. “I really do think you should invite that girl to the party. You should make some more friends.”

“And no business?” Armin checks, still doubtful.

“No business. It will be a completely normal birthday party,” Erwin swears.

“Good.” Armin returns to his food. “I could use _one_ night that’s normal.”

Levi snorts and says softly into his cup of tea, “Don’t count on it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was talking to a friend of mine and i realized since the y/n is just a projection, i might just make her fuck everyone. who knows? it's my AU and i've decided everyone's a slut, so there.  
> where was i going with this?  
> anyways, please comment if you enjoyed and let me know your thoughts!  
> i am wondering if you guys have figured out what kind of "monster" that seven of our characters are. i've hinted but they aren't titans.


End file.
